theshatteredempireseriesfandomcom-20200214-history
The City of Menevia
Headed by Count Philemon Colisande and Countess Gelasia Colisande. Law and Politics Section under full revision The Guilds Menevia is home to many notable scholastic, merchant and craft guilds. Linky link Places of Signifiance 'The Library of Menevia' Commissioned by the throne and built in the Third Era by the Masons, the interior is decorated with frescoes depicting scenes from Menevia’s history. The bookshelves and furniture built by the Carpenters have carvings themselves, most of scenes in folklore. While the visitor and outsider will see these as nothing more than works of art, a Menevian sees a story, a history – and feels a sense of pride. Each year, the major guilds give generous donations for the upkeep of the library, and for the funding for more books. When one enters the library, it is not uncommon to see a flustered law student studying for his bar exam, or a physician’s apprentice bent over a tome – the place is dominated with members of these guilds. 'The Mason’s Guildhall' A dome-shaped building with frescoes decorate the hall’s exterior, standing in contrast to the other granite buildings, especially with its sculptures carved into the walls. While many may assume the interior is a mad design of frescoes covering every inch of wall, this is not particularly true; the only frescoes are the ones on the hall’s ceiling, showcasing the guilds formation and history. On the walls hang paintings of guild-members and some masterpieces. The very top floor has one wall having large, spell-woven glass-stained windows, with the remaining walls covered in plaster. This is so that during the sunrise, the light penetrates the windows and floods the room with colour. If one faces the away from the windows, they will see the colours and depictions from the stained-glass coming together to form one scene across the walls, floor and even ceiling. As the day goes on, the scene – rather strangely – changes, moving along each wall as if a story were being told. Even under different weather conditions, there is always something new revealed when the colours touch the white walls; each day is a different projection and a different story told. During certain times of the year, the guild will shine magelight from inside the top floor during the night. The reverse happens during the day, and pictures form on the face of buildings opposite the guildhall. Even now, they form a different story, a different picture than to what is depicted indoors – and each year, the stories change yet again. It is something the public marvels at, and many wonder how the guild achieves such a thing. But their lips are sealed. 'The Menevia Astronomical Tower and New Life Bell' Located in the old town square, a bell-and-astronomical tower is built from spell-woven red and grey granite. Historic accounts date its construction back to the Second Era, however some legends date it to the First Era. The Mason’s Guild were the minds and hands behind the construction of this tower – but the way in which it was built, especially with the mechanisms and workings of the astrolabe remain a closely and fiercely guarded secret; some speculate that even the current guild master does not know, and that it is a piece of knowledge lost in history. A true enigma, it features a large astrolabe placed within two concentric circles on one face of the tower. The inner ring displays astronomical details of Masser and Secunda’s lunar phases and location of the sun; the second circle shows and indicates the change between seasons throughout the year; and lastly, the third circle depicts the cycle of life. From birth up until death – and then new life again, the outermost ring which shows these pictorial depictions ‘spin’ in conjunction with the other two discs throughout the year, from beginning to end. The concentric astrolabe, made of spell-woven glass and brass has a charming, if mystifying quality to it. Magically operated and mechanised, the astrolabe – as is the whole tower – is connected to Menevia’s underground complex, a place of which rumbles with magic. Secondly is the tower’s bell, the New Life Bell. A well-tuned and large bell at approximately 2.5 metres tall, its hum tone is an octave below its strike tone. If one were to climb within the tower’s belfry, they would see depictions and engravings of saints on the metal – a blessing and protective measure onto the tower. Chiming every hour, ringing for twelve times if it is 12 o’clock and so on, it can be heard all across the city. However, the New Life is more than just about keeping time. During festivals, wedding processions for the Count or Countess, or coronations they chime once more, ringing heartily to a certain rhyme for each occasion. Throughout the ages, it rang to warn its civilians of impending danger, and to remain safely hidden. However, never has it been so powerful when it lay in utter silence during funerals of the city’s influential individuals – and the whole city goes into mourning. With Menevians so used to its chimes and strikes, the silence is deafening. 'The City of Menevia Law School' A brick building adjacent to the Guildhall of Lawyers, it is the origin of the city’s notaries, law clerks, scriveners and pupil-barristers who are formally trained under the guidance of various teachers and lecturers. Here is also where solicitors come to choose their fields of expertise. It's various buildings surround a grassy courtyard, forming a quadrangle. There is a room dedicated to pupil-barristers, where moot courts are held. 'The Inns of Court' 'The Courts of Law' 'The Guildhall of Lawyers' 'The Guildhall of Healers' 'The Museum of Menevia' A collection of commissoned sculptures and paintings from the Mason's Guild open to the public (for a fee, of course.) Located beside the Library, these two buildings share a building connecting the two; and it is where public lectures, speeches and dissections are given. Where the library stores encyclopedias, a vast array of books on history, medicine, botany, theology, law, philosophy and the arcane, presenting knowledge in froms of literacy, the museum complements this by presenting knowledge as art. To gain a full experience, it is recommended that one visit both the library and museum, and sit in on a public lecture. The mixing of academia and art come together strongly at these public performances; lectures and dissections were as much a way of educating the audience and lay-person as it was theatre. 'The Theatre of Menevia' 'The Street of Lanterns ' 'Menevia Gaol' 'Menevia Castle' this is for youuuuuuu ;-; 'The Cathedral of Stendarr ' Category:Menevia Category:Lore